Eli Whitney Blake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eli Whitney Blake
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| Born |
Eli Whitney Blake
January 27, 1795 |
| Died | August 18, 1886 (aged 91) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | Leicester Academy |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Spouse(s) |
Eliza Maria O'Brien
(m. 1822; |
| Children | 12 |
| Parent(s) | Elihu Blake Elizabeth Fay Whitney Blake |
| Relatives | Eli Whitney (uncle) William Phipps Blake (nephew) |
Eli Whitney Blake, Sr. (born January 27, 1795 – died August 18, 1886) was an American inventor. He is famous for creating the mortise lock and a special machine that crushes stones. This stone-crushing machine was so important that it helped him get into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Contents
Eli Whitney Blake's Early Life
Eli Whitney Blake was born on January 27, 1795, in Westborough, a town in Massachusetts. His parents were Elihu Blake and Elizabeth Fay Blake.
He was the nephew of Eli Whitney, a very famous inventor who created the cotton gin. This machine changed how cotton was processed.
Eli Whitney Blake went to Leicester Academy for his early schooling. Later, he graduated from Yale University in 1816. After college, he also studied law for a short time.
Blake's Inventions and Business Career
Eli Whitney Blake soon stopped studying law. His uncle, Eli Whitney, asked for his help at a gun factory in Whitneyville. Here, Blake made important improvements to the machines and how guns were made.
After his uncle died in 1825, Blake and his brother Philos took over the business. On December 31, 1833, Eli and his brothers Philo and John received a patent for an "Escutcheon Latch." This was the first mortise lock made in the United States. A mortise lock is a type of lock that fits into a pocket cut into the edge of a door.
In 1836, the brothers started their own company, Blake Brothers. They built a factory in Westville to make their new door locks and latches. Over time, their business grew to include other hardware items like casters (small wheels) and hinges. Many of these items were also protected by patents. The Blake Brothers company was a leader in this type of manufacturing for many years.
The Stone-Crushing Machine
In 1852, Blake was asked to help with paving city streets. He noticed that there wasn't a good machine for breaking large stones into smaller pieces. This problem made him think.
In 1857, he invented the "Blake stone breaker." This machine was truly special because it was original, simple, and very effective. Experts thought it was unique. The Blake stone breaker helped make road construction much easier and faster.
Blake was also one of the people who started the Connecticut Academy of Science. He was president of this group for several years. He wrote important articles for science journals. He even published a book of his own ideas about how things move through the air.
Eli Whitney Blake's Family Life
On July 8, 1822, Eli Whitney Blake married Eliza Maria O'Brien. They had a large family with 12 children together.
Some of their children included:
- Mary Elizabeth Blake (born 1823)
- Charles Thompson Blake (born 1826), who worked with gold during the gold rush in California.
- Henry Taylor Blake (born 1828)
- Frances Louisa Blake (born 1835)
- Eli Whitney Blake, Jr. (born 1836), who was also an inventor and scientist.
- Edward Foster Blake (born 1837), who sadly died in a battle during the U.S. Civil War.
- James Pierrepont Blake (born 1839), who drowned while helping others.
Eli Whitney Blake's wife, Eliza, passed away on April 15, 1876. Eli Whitney Blake himself died on August 18, 1886, in New Haven, Connecticut.
